I got my Tokarev today, and a used Kimber 1911

Well, over the last week or so, I blew a lot of money on firearms and shooting accessories, because things are getting so hard to find now. But I'm very happy because I feel like I'm building up a real quality collection.

I picked up my Tokarev from the dealership today, and there happened to be a used Kimber 1911 which appeared to be in great condition. In the future, when I can finally get .45 ACP again, that Kimber would be a great competition piece, and I figured it was a steal at between $700 and $800. I also bought 6 magazines for the Kimber, a belt, and a holster. I need some mag pouches for the belt.

I'm still waiting for 900 rounds of 7.62x25 ammo and a bunch of magazines for the Tokarev to arrive at the gun shop. Today I've been working on drawing the Tokarev, working the safety with my thumb, and getting the sights aligned nicely, since that is what I'd have to do for many types of shooting competitions.

I plan to field strip and clean/oil the Tokarev before firing it, since it's military surplus after all, and seeing as I'm still waiting on my ammo. There are some great step by step intstructions on this available on the internet.

Today I disassembled, cleaned, and oiled the Tokarev. Since it was my first time and I had to follow instructions, it took me like 3 hours. I was following the instructions given on http://www.surplusrifle.com/pistoltt...mble/index.asp. I had gotten stuck on one of the first steps, removing the barrel bushing. The instructions said to rotate the bushing "clockwise", which is what I tried to do for a very long time, but apparently that was the wrong direction. I even used my aluminum cleaning rod's plastic handle like a little hammer, and lubed it starting with gun oil and eventually used WD40 when things didn't seem to be working, and kept trying to rotate that bushing for a very long time, until I finally noticed that I could turn the bushing in the opposite direction without trouble. Happily, though, as I continued my disassembly and inspection, I could tell that I hadn't caused any kind of damage, or even any scratching, by my trying to turn the bushing in the wrong direction. I guess those old Soviet designs were intended to be "idiot" (read: me) proof and that they succeeded well on that count.

The rest of the assembly pretty much went like the instructions said. The importer had obviously cleaned the pistol up, but I had my q-tips and Hoppes 9 and really scrubbed away all the laquer, dirt, and cosmoline reside that I could find. I used both a bore snake and a copper brush on the barrel, and scrubbed it for a while to get it cleaner than it was, although when I hold the barrel up in the sky and peer down it I can still see some residue in there.

Finally I re-assembled the pistol, and found that compressing the spring and rotating the bushing back on was still definitely the most difficult step of re-assembly. I performed the function check and everything worked, so I guess I put it back together correctly.

It was a totally engrossing experience. Now my fingers hurt from all that fiddling.

Congrats man, on both! I love my Tok it is the best $80 i think i have spent in a long time.
It is a bitch to put back together though but soon you will have it down. My first attempt i shot the recoil spring across the room......

I've fondled a couple of Tokarevs but never had the pleasure of shooting one.

They're cheap to shoot, but its hard to find ammo that works every time. Every other magazine or so you'll need to pull back the hammer and try to fire the round again. Other than than that, they're really fun. They practically don't even kick. It feels like a .38 or so. The only downside ergonomically is the safety, if you even happen to get one with a safety. You have to swivel it backward to get it ready to shoot. Its a pain in the butt, and its best to do it with your opposite hand than your firing hand.

With the exception of its slightly inferior ergonomics, it feels like a 1911 with its slim shape and light trigger. Just less powerful and a bit of a funky grip.

Today, I've been suffering from horrendous allergies, and didn't feel like working out hard at the gym like I'd otherwise have done. Instead, I decided to do something relatively physically easy, which was to go out into the desert and shoot the Tokarev with the Norinco ammunition.

Right up front, I was not exactly satisfied with the shooting. I had some consistient clustering, but all the hits were pretty far to the right, and high. Here is one of my target papers; ignore the few holes on the far left, because those actually were from shooting at a target paper I had to the left of the one I'm showing: http://tinypic.com/r/21eosbn/5

You can see that I have got a pretty tight cluster just outside of the last ring at 2 o'clock or so, but overall it's all high and to the right.

I think there are a few reasons for this. In the first place, I enjoyed operating the Tokarev, but it had a lively recoil, and the grip was small. Initially, I tried squeezing the trigger with my fingertip, which is how I shoot my Ruger P97, but since the Tokarev's grip was smaller, I think it made the Tokarev slip a bit in my grip a bit while shooting. As evidence, here's a picture of my finger, which has a little bit of broken skin on my fingertip caused by operating the Tokarev: http://tinypic.com/r/2aloop/5

Besides for that, I notice that the rear sights on this particular Tokarev are moved pretty far to the right. I read that these Romanian Tokarevs are factory-zeroed for 25 yards, but maybe the sights being significantly to the right have something to do with my lackluster shooting this time around.

Also, I'm cross-dominant, meaning when I operate pistols I use my right hand and left eye. I wonder if that might have something to do with this, although it hasn't stopped me from shooting well with other pistols.

As I understand it, moving your rear sight LEFT is appropriate if I want to change the point of aim further to the RIGHT. Is that correct? If so, would I be able to take the Tokarev to a gunsmith and have him move that sight to the left?

Otherwise, another Romanian Tokarev only costs $200 plus shipping, Brady, and transfer fee. Maybe I should just get another one? That way, I'd have two for dual wielding, uh, I mean spare parts.